Postcard from Wingerland

from The Stump at TNR

Made a long drive last night and caught up with the latest in right-wing talk radio memes. A few things jumped out:

--One, a major obsession with race, and particularly outrage over the notion that liberals will be using "the race card" to shield Obama from attacks like that North Carolina GOP ad featuring Jeremiah Wright.

--Two, Sean Hannity--often the tip of the spear for the latest in oppo-research and the first to fixate on William Ayers--was pushing the charge that Obama had shown himself weak by opposing the death penalty for violent gang members in Illinois. (I expect we'll be hearing more about that one, even though FactCheck.org calls Floyd Brown's ad on the subject a "reprehensible misrepresentation.")

--Three, a current of anger at John McCain for distancing himself from Bush--the hook being McCain's criticism of the Hurricane Katrina response. Gasbagger Mark Levin complained that McCain is, in essence, "campaigning against" Bush. (Levin was also mad at McCain for distancing himself from the NC ad.) Relatedly, I see an angry reader over at NRO: "I've had it with [McCain] trashing fellow Republicans."

P.S. Also of minor interest to TNR readers: On NPR yesterday Mike Kinsley predicted Obama will get the nomination but lose to McCain (though he conceded that he's a better analyst than prognosticator).

--Michael Crowley